As the first rays of daylight unfurled across the horizon, tendrils of golden sunlight cascaded through the window. They danced and wove through the air, eventually caressing the face of a blindfolded girl.
"Junior sister, it's time to go to the Qi portal," Arnard muttered, his gaze fixed on her beautiful figure.
His throat tightened as he swallowed. Even though she always wore a blindfold, her figure and beauty were top-tier in their academy.
Many students secretly harbored crushes on her, but her aloof behavior discouraged most of them.
Ember turned her head, offering no reply as she slowly walked away.
Arnard's brow furrowed, his eyes flashing with cold intensity as he watched her departure.
"Bitch, pretending to be a saint. I'll show you the results of annoying me," he mumbled, an evil smile playing on his lips. He quickly concealed it before following her.
"Let's go," Austin said calmly, looking at both of them. Ember merely nodded in response.
"Junior sister, it would make everyone happy if you'd at least reply to us," a female student spoke in an annoyed tone, noticing Ember's avoidance of Austin.
"Do I need to care?" Ember retorted in a hushed tone, not waiting for further questions and walking ahead.
"You..." the female student's face flushed with anger. Watching Ember's retreating figure, jealousy filled her eyes.
Austin, the most handsome and talented elite disciple in Divine Sword Academy, often attracted secret admiration from female students.
His calm and detached demeanor made it hard for many to even converse with him. Now being avoided by Ember, the student felt a surge of anger and jealousy.
"Enough," Austin's cold voice silenced the female disciple. "Her nature is like this; no need for extra words." He shook his head at Ember's back before following her, leaving the fuming student behind.
Observing her expression, Arnal smirked and then trailed after Austin and Ember.
".."
"Master, there are many people," Asher heard Elara's surprised voice as he looked at the crowd gathered in front of them.
He glanced at the queue of people with a raised eyebrow. Skyrise City was famous in the Mistwood Kingdom because of the Qi portal located there.
The Mistwood Kingdom had only one portal, which was the Qi portal in Skyrise City.
Cultivators above the Spirit Awakening stage would leave the Mistwood Kingdom to improve their strength.
Some talented disciples would be recruited into major academies like the Divine Sword Academy.
He had heard from people that the Divine Sword Academy in the Mistwood Kingdom was just a side branch of the main branch.
Without wasting time, he joined the queue. Everyone stood in line without causing trouble, mainly due to the presence of the Spirit Guild.
The Spirit Guild controlled almost half of the portals, so offending them would mean compromising one's own future.
A voice could be heard from the front, saying, 'Take the token in hand and walk through the entrance.'" He looked ahead and saw guards wearing the uniform of the Spirit Guild managing the queue.
"They're pretty good at crowd control," he murmured in a low voice. Suddenly, he felt the Crystal Sword in his heart start vibrating, but due to his previous warning, it didn't try to come out.
When he looked behind, he saw Ember standing at the end of the queue. She was currently talking to a young man standing next to her.
"Junior sister, you must follow Arnard for your safety," Austin said to her seriously. Their strengths exceeded Qi Refining, so they couldn't enter the Qi world.
This was why he had brought Arnard with him. Arnard had no martial spirits, so he could enter the Qi world, ensuring her safety.
Ember didn't reply. She was looking in the direction of the young man in front of the queue.
Austin also noticed her gaze and followed it, meeting the gaze of the green-eyed boy. Today, he was wearing a completely new blue robe, making him even more handsome.
"Don't worry, senior brother. I will protect junior sister," Arnard chimed in. He, too, was looking forward to entering the Qi world. His goal was to awaken a martial spirit and become an elite student.
Within a year, there would be a selection process to choose disciples from the side branches for the main branch. If he was selected, he could become a disciple of the main academy.
The resources in the main academy were a hundred times more valuable than those in the branches.
Austin nodded at him. Looking at Ember, he sighed and said, "Then don't waste time," motioning his hand toward the queue.
Ember queued up behind the crowd, but her spiritual sense was tracking all of Asher's movements.
She felt his heartbeat accelerate when his gaze turned in her direction, causing a red blush to appear on her cheek.
"Master, that sister is shy," Elara said with a suppressed laugh. Asher also smiled a little.
However, when his eyes landed on Arnard standing next to her, his expression turned cold.
He noticed an obsessive look in Arnard's eyes, akin to a beast eyeing its prey.
"A fly is there to kill," a cold smile appeared on Asher's face.
He decided that after entering the Qi world if Arnard had any sinister intentions towards her, he would deal with him directly.
Despite not having known Ember for many years, the racing of his heart when he saw her was genuine. He didn't want any harm to befall her.
"Next," a voice awakened him from his thoughts. Glancing back, he saw a soldier looking at him in annoyance. Smiling at the soldier, he quickly moved forward.
In front of him was a green bubble about the size of two people. Feeling surprised, he stepped into the bubble.
"So this is the Qi world portal," a smile appeared on his face. His first adventure in life was beginning, and he was filled with excitement.
As he touched the bubble, a cool sensation spread through his body. He sensed a probing, likely conducted by the protector elders from the Spirit Guild.
Walking into the portal, he felt his body pass through something akin to thin water. When he opened his eyes, he found himself on the other side of the portal.
Glancing around, he perceived that he was in a forest. The trees here were many times taller and larger than those in the outside world.
He even spotted leaves three times bigger than him. The scenery had a breathtaking beauty, yet he was well aware that appearances could be deceiving in terms of safety.
"Are you yesterday's bastard?" a surprised voice came from behind him. Without even looking, he knew who the owner of that voice was.
A cold smile flashed in his eyes as he glanced back.